


why don't we go kaboom

by gottalovev



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Fade to Black, First Kiss, Getting Together, M/M, Mutual Pining, Post-Canon, as you probably guessed, hey it's my story I do what I want, reference to past trauma, tiberius stone is shady, where everyone is alive and friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-25
Updated: 2018-11-25
Packaged: 2019-08-29 00:21:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,705
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16733451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gottalovev/pseuds/gottalovev
Summary: Tony is missing a part of his day because of a concussion, and he doesn't like it at all. Even less when he realizes that Bucky suffers from the same problem.





	why don't we go kaboom

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Escape (Art for Why Don't We Go Kaboom)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16737172) by [mariana_oconnor](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mariana_oconnor/pseuds/mariana_oconnor). 



> Made for the [Winteriron Bang (reverse bang 2018)](http://winterironbang.tumblr.com/), where I could not resist the setup conjured by Mariana-oconnor. 
> 
> I embedded the FANTASTIC art inside the fic, but please go on her posts, if you can, to tell her how amazing it is. You can use the 'was inspired by' link for her AO3 page, or go on Tumblr [here](https://mariana-oconnor.tumblr.com/post/180489987596/title-why-dont-we-go-kaboom-artist)
> 
> If you are weary of potential triggers in relation to the tags (especially 'reference to past trauma'), more details are in the end notes. They contain spoilers for the story.
> 
> On that, happy reading!

A sharp pain in his foot makes Tony flinch; fucking ouch, that was Pepper's heel! He sits up sharply only to realize that everyone in the Stark Industries conference room is staring at him. It takes longer than it should to focus on the representatives of Viastone surrounding their tall, blond and douchebag CEO Tiberius Stone.

Stone is examining him with half-hearted concern poorly masking his annoyance. "Are you feeling well enough to continue, Tony? You look a little out of it."

No fucking kidding, Tony thinks with a gritted smile. His head is pounding and he doesn’t have the slightest clue how he got to this meeting. Tony gathers his energy to bluff like this is just another boring meeting when he’s startled by Pepper’s hand on his arm.

"It's my fault," she says with a contrite smile and Tony does a double take. Pepper never takes the fall in a professional setting. Ever. "He said he was fine, so I didn't reschedule the meeting."

Putting the blame on him… there’s more familiar ground. But Tony still doesn’t understand what the hell is happening. Why can't he remember getting here?

"We would have understood, Tony," Tiberius says, shaking his head with false benevolence. "Superhero-ing his a dangerous gig, you need to take better care of yourself."

Tony scoffs. “I’m perfectly fine, I just zoned out for a minute. Let’s just get back to it and - ”

"No, no, no. We'll reschedule the negotiations for another day," Tiberius says, and Tony can see how at least two of the Viastone people are muttering in annoyance. Their boss is getting up, though, so they gather their stuff and do the same. "Tomorrow perhaps? Or will you be needing more time to... recuperate?"

"We’ll be in contact," Pepper says, digging her nails into Tony’s arm to cut off his indignant squawk. "We appreciate your understanding."

"Not a problem at all," Tiberius says with a magnanimous smile that makes Tony shudder and barely resist rolling his eyes. “Take care of yourself, okay Tony? Our people will be in touch,” he says, giving Tony a curiously less-sweaty than usual handshake and throwing Pepper a wink. Ugh.

“I will, Ty,” Tony sighs. “See you soon.”

At last, the Viastone people file out and Tony drops his head to rub at his temples; this headache is _bad_. “What the hell happened there, Pep? We look like a goddamn mess letting Stone walk all over us like that.”

“You want to know what the hell happened? _You’re_ the one that’s a mess right now, you looked like you could’ve passed out right there on the table.”

Pepper sighs, stepping into his space and pulling down his wrists to see his face. Her hands are unnaturally cold, and he stares at them and tries to focus. “Hey, Tony. Are you alright? Your pupils seem fine at least, but I had no idea the concussion was this severe.”

"Concussion?" It would explain the disorientation, at least. He doesn't feel queasy, though, but that's not something he misses.

Pepper frowns, concerned. "From the beam that fell on you in the warehouse? That's what I heard at least!"

Oh, right, the warehouse. He remembers planning to search the warehouse, though not anything that happened after. When even was that? Probably this morning… at least if it’s still Tuesday.

—

He’d been working on a new circuitry path that was not at all a possible improvement for a flight stabilizator - if anyone asked - when FRIDAY had piped up. She dutifully reported that her face recognition algorithm had spotted Rick Moon in Jersey City’s industrial complex. Moon himself was uninteresting, but for several months he’d been shadowing Phineas Mason, the man behind Toomes’ Vulture suit and other tech. They saw the remnant of Toomes’ crew last month only to watch them slip between the Avenger’s fingers after almost stealing Tony’s stuff again. He really, _really_ , wanted to catch Mason, in part, yes, because he was a total pain in the ass, but honestly, mainly because he was too clever for Tony’s liking. Who knew what he would come up with next? Tony suspected that Mason was behind the corrosive acid stunt that had eaten through the team’s gear a few weeks before, but unfortunately Mason and the remaining Toomes crew had been flying under the radar until that slip up in Jersey City.

Tony would have relayed the intel to Nat so she could squeeze Moon for info, but the active Avengers were out of town, taking care of a possible resurgence of Hydra in Brazil.

Sure, he could have just put Moon under electronic surveillance until the Avengers came back. It might have eventually led them straight to Mason that way. But Tony’s “retirement” was making him increasingly restless and he was itching for a fight. Especially since he had retired for Pepper’s sake and they had broken up - again, though after months it seemed like the last time - which rendered his forced Avengers hiatus even more unpleasant. Iron Man was in his blood; denying that part of himself - the good he did and, well, how good he felt wearing the armor - for what had become a shaky on-and-off relationship had taken a heavier toll each day. He had loved Pepper, once, but Tony had to admit that they could never truly reconcile as a couple. They’d given up so much to try and save what had turned out to be the last dying embers of their relationship and he was done with the compromises, with the worn-out repeats of the same fights. They’d been working their way from unavoidable-ex’s back to coworkers-and-maybe-friends, and at the end of it all it’s simpler without the entanglement of romance. And... it was possible that for the first time in years someone else made Tony’s heart beat a little faster.

So when FRIDAY identified the surveillance footage, Tony took the excuse that the Avengers were unavailable to finally put on the suit. Tony had been crossing the common floor when he’d stumbled across Barnes. Odd, how clearly he remembers that conversation when he’d lost so many other stretches of time.

“You look chipper,” Bucky had noted from his spot by the kitchen island, eating a bowl of cereal at three in the afternoon. He stayed leaning near the counter while Tony moved toward the cupboards, figuring he could use a snack too.

He paused his hunt for granola bars to give Barnes a toothy grin. “Yeah, I think I’m gonna take the suit out for a spin, see how she handles after her beauty sleep.”

It was always a good day when you got to witness a James Bucky Barnes smirk. “Yeah? About time.”

Tony had looked away, staring at the box in his hands for a moment before returning Barnes’ stare with excitement. “Past time.”

“I knew your ‘permanent retirement,’” Bucky stated with dramatic air quotes, “wouldn’t hold in the long term.”

“I tried! For real, for Pepper.”

Bucky had tilted his head, curious. “So what changed, then?”

“Since we’re not getting back together, I don’t see why I shouldn’t kick ass from time to time.”

“You’re not?” Barnes’ tone seemed tinted with interest, enough that Tony had looked at him in surprise to find him blushing. “Uh, I mean, I thought it was yours and Miss. Pott’s thing.”

“What, separating then making up? It was for a bit, unfortunately. But we’ve talked and we’re calling it quits for good.”

“Sorry to hear that.” Maybe it was wishful thinking, but Bucky hadn’t seemed all that sad at the announcement. “How’re you feeling about that?”

“Ugh, feelings.” Tony turned with an mock shudder and moved to switch on the coffee maker. “I think it was, unfortunately, doomed from the start. And I might have realized that I’ve started to move on already.”

Since said moving on consisted solely of his crush on the man in front of him, Tony had tried glancing back over his shoulder flirtatiously, just to test the water.

Sadly Bucky had missed the tentative and was instead staring out the window. “Good for you,” he’d murmured, and Tony didn’t know what to think of that. Well, it would have been nice if Bucky was interested back, but. What can you do.

“Anyhow, I’m doing a quick recon in Jersey City, I’ll be back later.” Tony tried to inject his voice with some of the cheer from earlier and hoped it wouldn’t ring false.

“Recon?” Bucky had asked with a frown. “What recon?”

“Had an alert ping on Rick Moon from Toomes’ old crew. In and out, just having a look.” Well, technically that was the plan. Ideally, Tony would catch him and get actual information.

“You’re going alone?” That clearly hadn’t pleased Bucky.

“Moon is nothing, and I don’t want the trail to go cold by the time the team comes back.”

“I’ll go with you,” Bucky declared. Tony had barely opened his mouth before Bucky started on his sales pitch. “It’s the perfect way for me to ease in. Stevie’s had me train with the others for weeks now, and he’s been planning to send me out on a basic, small-time mission and see how the team works together in the field with a new member. Nothing’s come up yet that fits. Now we both get to stretch our legs before we have to coordinate with the whole team.”

Tony had smirked. “You just want to go out without Steve checking in every time you breath wrong.”

“You got it,” Bucky had said with a sigh. “He means well, but the mother henning gets old.”

Steve was indeed full of good intentions, but tended to get overbearing with his precious Bucky. It had been fascinating to see Barnes fighting for his independence more and more. He had even mentioned his need for action to a journalist once, in front of the Captain. It had resulted into an argument that made constant loops on social media for weeks and fueled rumors that the Avengers always fought among themselves. The public, quite surprisingly, had mostly taken Bucky’s side. They were eating up the tragic hero breaking the conditioning of evil Hydra and reforming himself by joining the Avengers. The media backlash and support had forced Steve to step back and think. In the last few weeks he had seemed to accept he couldn’t roll up Bucky in bubble wrap for the rest of his life; it had relaxed the atmosphere in the compound considerably.

So out they went to Jersey City, Tony flying Bucky over there in a rigged-up harness Tony definitely hadn’t been designing in his mind for weeks. It had been a delight to do so because the man whooped with joy at the speed and the few stunts Tony pulled just for him. It’s with a smile on his face and unfortunately his guard down - and his armored stowed away in his watch - that he’d approached the warehouse. He’d been so certain that stealth was the right play, that there couldn’t be anything dangerous there with Bucky by his side. Clearly, he’d been wrong, because Tony didn’t remember what happened once he crossed the threshold.

—

“Shit,” he says as the memories flood back. Pepper is peering at him with a concerned frown, and he wonders how long he’d been zoned out for. “I don’t remember the warehouse,” he admits and her mouth turns down even more. “What about Barnes, is he okay?”

Pepper’s eyebrows skyrocket to her hairline. “You forgot how Steve chewed you out for bringing him with you, huh? Yes, he’s okay. Got knocked out, too, but no lasting damage.”

“Ah, fuck.” Tony never wanted Bucky to be hurt, he surely deserved that Cap-rant. He isn’t too sad about not remembering it though.

What he doesn’t understand is why Pepper isn’t scolding him too. After all, he went out as Iron Man again, and normally she’d nag him to go to medical to get his head checked some more. Or at least remark on how it isn’t good for him to get so many concussions. But then again, she set up a meeting with Viastone, when they had agreed to stop that project.

“You should have realized the concussion was bad if I agreed to this meeting!” Pepper blinks, as if she doesn’t get it. “That certainly didn’t look like us severing all ties with Viastone!” Tony insists.

Pepper steps back, definitely surprised. “What? Why?”

It is Tony’s turn to examine her face in concern. “We talked about this, Pep. In fact it was your idea…”

Which had been a relief. The more he’d worked with Tiberius Stone and his team, the less Tony had felt like it was worth it himself. They’d been friends years ago, just before Afghanistan in fact. Maybe it was time or because Tony had changed since, but now he couldn’t stand the guy. He’d tried! Viastone had developed interesting protocols to help with PTSD, and combining it with BARF could have done a lot of good.

They’d spent several days exploring possibilities with a scaled-down version of Tony’s hardware and Viastone’s scenarios. But the more they dug into it, the weirder it felt. Pepper had sensed it too and proposed to decline Viastone’s project, give them a compensation for their time, and then move on.

“Yes, but I thought about it since,” she says, looking resolute. “You wanted to continue…”

“No?”

Pepper clamps her mouth shut, looking angry for some reason. “Look, Tony, clearly your head’s not right. You should rest up, we’ll talk about this later.”

Even more confused than after realizing he is missing what could be days, Tony decides to follow her advice. A head injury is something he learned not to take lightly, and he’s really puzzled about this one. Rest will do him some good, especially since the ache at his temples is just not getting better.

He's crossing to the living quarters when he almost crashes into Steve, in full uniform and with his shield on his back, striding purposely the other way. That generally means something is happening, though Tony has no idea what.

"Stark," Steve says with a curt nod. Still pissed about Bucky being hurt, then. Also more polite than Tony would have expected after messing up like that.

"What's going on?" Tony asks.

Steve furrows his eyebrows. "Nothing, just going to fill my report. Did you do yours?"

Tony almost says that he might have but he forgot, but that doesn't seem like a good thing to disclose. He smiles and winks instead, "You know _I_ am always on time!"

It's a running gag in the team how Cap is absolute shit at following procedure for the missions paperwork. He's always the last one to finish, though admittedly his reports are flawless. Steve nods at the quip though he doesn't even smile. "I sure hope so."

He leaves after that, still walking as if he's going to storm a hostile stronghold all by his lonesome in the next five minutes. That mission with Hydra must have been a doozy if he's compelled to do the report with that attitude. In uniform, though? Tony lives with weird people.

Just before he reaches the staircase leading to his rooms, Tony sees Bucky this time… and what a sight, too. The man is walking around shirtless with low slung pajama pants, and Tony tries not to drool. Thirst aside, it's a relief to see Bucky seemingly unharmed with his own two eyes. The feeling looks mutual because Bucky perks up when he sees him.

"Hey Tony!" he says, walking over.

"Bucky," he replies with a nod. "Are you all right?"

"Yes, yes, I'm okay. You?"

Relatively speaking, Tony is too. "I'm fine."

"I just wish I remembered the whole thing," Bucky says, which makes Tony frown.

"What do you mean?"

"I can't remember the warehouse," Bucky says, smoothing his fingers across his eyebrows, as if to chase tension. "I guess that beam knocked us out good."

That's strikingly similar to Tony's own problem, and immediately suspicious.

"And then what?" Tony asks.

"I don't know, I have this killer headache. Plus Steve just freaked out about safety again. How I was not ready to get back in the field yet, and that I had nothing to prove to anyone. I figured I might find painkillers and pray that they work for once."

"I'm sorry the accident set Steve back," Tony says with a wince. Shit, if Bucky hadn't gone with him to Jersey, he could have reintegrated through a Captain-sanctioned mission and avoided all of this trouble.

"Yeah, me too. I thought we were past this."

Tony's next question would be damning if he was asking it to anyone but Bucky, but it's less suspicious to someone who just self-admitted to holes in his memory. "How long ago was the warehouse?"

Bucky scrunches his nose. "You know what? I'm not sure. Feels like this morning though."

Oh, this is bad. Why would they both suffer from the exact same symptoms? Instead of continuing to his bedroom even if it's calling for him, Tony gestures for Bucky to follow him. He needs to run tests in the lab.

"I'm missing time too," Tony admits.

"What?"

"About the same as you," he says before immediately running into his workshop door when it for some reason doesn't immediately open up by his proximity. He's about to bitch at FRIDAY when a hologram keyboard display pops up.

"I am sorry, Sir, I appear to have suffered from an infiltration and require your personal override code."

The sudden wave of grief that hits Tony is akin to a punch to the solar plexus. He is frozen in place, and not sure if he will faint or be sick.

"Why does your computer sound like Vision?"

Bucky's question shakes Tony out of his stupor. It wasn't Vision: in his gut, Tony knows it's an attempt to simulate JARVIS. As much as he sometimes wishes for it, it's impossible for JARVIS to be back.

"It shouldn't," Tony says. What he's wondering now is if it's a confusing dream or something else. Nothing has felt quite right since the meeting room. Heck, coming to _in_ the meeting room in the first place made no sense either.

Once again Bucky rubs at his temples and yeah, they are sharing the killer headache too. Which… also happens to be a side effect of the BARF technology. Is that was is going on right now? If it is, Tony should have some control over his environment. He takes a deep breath, closes his eyes and focuses on his clothes.

"Whoa!" Bucky exclaims, visibly shocked that Tony has gone from wearing one of his business three pieces suit to a jeans and tank top combo.

"Shit," Tony says, because this is BARF, or at a minimum a bastardized version of it.

"What the fuck is going on?" Bucky asks, reaching for Tony and slipping a finger under the shoulder strap. It's unexpected and Tony shivers at the contact even if it doesn't feel exactly right. "Oh, I'm dreaming?" Bucky adds softly when he notes Tony's reaction, expression relaxing immediately. He smiles and drags his hand slowly down Tony's chest. "Okay then."

The gesture is definitely made with intent. Tony didn't dare to hope, but the heat in Bucky's eyes seems genuine. As long as Bucky himself is real at the moment, or at least sharing Tony's scenario.

"As much as I really, really want to know more about these dreams of yours," Tony says, reluctantly stepping back, "I don't think it's a dream. I'm betting virtual reality, in fact, and by someone who didn't do his research enough!" He says that last bit louder. There's only one suspect on his list, even. "Stone, this is an asshole move, stop it right now!"

A few steps away, Tiberius Stone's image materializes, wearing the same clothes as earlier in the meeting. He pouts excessively.

"Aw, Tony, why do you have to ruin everything?"

"What the fuck?" Bucky exclaims once more, bristling and stepping in between Tony and Ty. He puts his hands on his hips. "Who are you? I don't know you, why are you in my dream?"

Poor Bucky, it must be very confusing. Tony taps on his arm, pushing him gently aside.

"I'll explain in a second, let me just deal with this asshole first." Tony steps up to Tiberius. "You thought I wouldn't see through your little game?"

The worst thing is that Tony was almost fooled, or in fact he was duped for too long. He knew something wasn't right, and he should have trusted his instinct.

"I might have underestimated you," Tiberius says with a shrug. "It's the AI, right? Color me surprised that you got rid of that mockup butler after all that time. I admit I counted on you being sentimental about those old toys of yours."

The surge of anger in Tony is hard to contain, but hitting Ty's image like he’s clearly expected to and inevitably passing through would only make him look stupid. "You shut your mouth! JARVIS was more of a decent person than you ever will be."

"Was?" Ty's tone turns faux-apologetic. "Aw, something happened to it? I'm so sorry."

The smirk makes it clear that he's definitely not, and Bucky intervenes.

"Hey, asshole, no one asked you. Who's that douche, Tony?"

Ty scoffs. "Look at that, the old man picked up some lingo."

There's a thing that Bucky is really, really good at: looming menacingly. With one long stride, he gets right into Ty's personal space and looks down at him even though they’re basically of the same height. Virtual or not, Ty can't help a step back.

"I'm thinking that I don't care about you one bit," Bucky says, tone so cold that Ty's eyes widen. When Bucky raises his metal arm and catches him by the throat, Ty makes a satisfying squeak and disappears. He hears Bucky mutter a disgruntled, "What the fuck-"

"Long story short, I worked a bit with him and his company to build a machine to treat trauma survivors," Tony explains.

"That stuff you showed at MIT? The video with your, uh, parents?"

They worked hard on forgiveness regarding Tony's parents - Tony towards Bucky, and Bucky towards himself. Even if they got there, anything concerning Howard and Maria is a subject they generally avoid. Tony nods and continues.

"Yeah, but more immersive. Viastone's concept went too far, with too much potential for manipulation if it fell into wrong hands, so I've been stalling." And it looks like it was the right decision, considering Ty has them locked into a virtual scenario.

" _I wouldn't have been forced to do this if you cooperated, Tony!_ " Ty's voice sounds out around them, slightly shrill. He's agitated, visibly Bucky rattled him.

"Fuck you, Stone, you are proving me right!" Tony shouts back.

"He's spying on us?" Bucky blinks, then he understands exactly what is going on; Super Soldiers are fast on the intake. "Shit, we're trapped in a scenario he cooked up?"

"Yeah," Tony says, pressing his palms together, then thinking very hard about a remote control as he slowly pulls them apart. It's very satisfying when matter takes shape in his very hand, a lot like his nanoparticles technology. "He set that trap in Jersey City, using Moon as a lure knowing he was on the Avenger's most wanted, got the jump on us when we entered the warehouse and hooked us in. I really should have kept the armor on. Anyway, what happened earlier, with the JARVIS impression, is that he tried to get my override code. So, in short, he's just a corporate thief with fancy tech. _My_ fancy tech."

Ty speaks again. " _I improved tenfold on the bit of code you deigned to share, and you know it!_ " Even without seeing his expression he sounds insufferable. " _I don't want the armor or anything else, just BARF. Give it to me and I'll let you out._ "

"Fuck you, asshole," Bucky mutters.

Tony is done with his remote and is forming hovering robots now, not caring about the design itself much but making sure they have efficient thrusters and plenty of firepower. They nonetheless end up looking pretty slick, with chrome and shiny light, which is a great job under the circumstances if he says so himself.

"What are they?" Bucky asks.

"Destruction machines," Tony says with a grim smile. "I've always been gifted at those."

" _How- This is useless, Stark!_ " Ty cries out.

He sounds nervous, and Tony would bet he has a little squadron of engineers at work right now trying to analyze his thought waves and the environment's code to find out how he's creating matter. It's merely hours and hours of practice in a VR setting and having a lot of imagination and technical know-how. Simple.

"That’s amazing," Bucky says, entranced. "Why are you making those things?"

"The biggest flaw in BARF is that it needs a stable environment to hold. It works pretty well if you are using a vivid memory, or going through a scenario with a known setting - say your house's living room, or something minimal. It's a lot more difficult for the hardware to process a complex scene like being on a roller coaster or in a rock concert with a crowd reacting."

"Bummer," Bucky says.

"Yeah, it limits BARF's applications for the moment," Tony agrees.

" _I know how to fix it! We were going to do it together, then you started to ghost me. Why did you betray me like that?_ "

Tony rolls his eyes. "Because you are a psychopath who thinks putting a potential business partner in a VR is fair game, that's why! You'll never see a line of my code ever again. I'll sic my whole legal team on you, too. Kidnapping, sequestration, mental manipulation, name it." Tony's fourth little flying destructive robot is almost ready.

"If I get this right," Bucky says, looking around them. "You plan to use these bots to mess up the asshole's fake compound."

Tony grins at him. "Got it in one, James!"

" _You'll fry your own brain!_ " Ty screeches.

So dramatic. It makes Tony roll his eyes, and he lightly shakes his head for Bucky's benefit. Sure, overloading the hardware is not the ideal solution to get out of the VR. But at worst, a forced disconnect will only worsen their headaches.

"How can I help?" Bucky asks.

"To make a change, you need to focus on something you know very well and turn it into something else that is familiar," Tony says. It's not that it's difficult in itself, but it does require a lot of concentration. "Then it's like exercise, but for the brain. It gets easier the more you do it."

Bucky is already looking at his metal arm, which doesn't surprise Tony at all; it must be a constant focal point, like the reactor used to be for him. After a few seconds the black and gold of the Wakandan tech turns to silver at the tip of Bucky's fingers. The arm to shifts and moves, metal changing color while creeping up his arm, mechanical plates whirring and enlocking along the way. It's downright fascinating, but then the arm change once again, from shoulder to hand this time where metal gives way to muscles and skin. The wistful expression on Bucky's face when the transformation is done, body unmarred and whole, is heartbreaking.

" _See? Such a powerful tool to deal with trauma,_ " Ty says and Tony wants to kick his ass for shattering Bucky's moment. The intruding voice makes Bucky jump and his hold on the flesh arm wavers, making it flicker before leaving him with his current prosthesis. " _We could do so much good Tony, if you only worked with me._ "

"Never."

"Why don't you come back here? I'll show you trauma," Bucky says, scowling.

"Too much of a coward," Tony says. "Okay. Now it’s time to fuck shit up!"

The four bots he made look like disco UFO's, but they can indeed fuck shit up greatly. Tony activates the repulsors and lasers, and things start to go boom real fast. He understands why Ty chose to immerse them in the Avengers' compound because its design is minimalistic, and therefore easy to recreate. Still, the setup is almost perfect and since Ty only came over a few times, that means he's been filming. Tony is reluctantly impressed and the first thing he will do when he gets back to his real home will be to reinforce the security in the whole facility.

Tony entered several robotics challenges in his youth, including vicious underground bots battles in MIT where he and Rhodey were undisputed kings three years running. Based on these experiences and decades of weapon designing, his new creations are incredibly effective. He's cutting through the virtual walls as if they are butter, and already he can see the outline of the matrix shining through where there's important damage. He might be having a bit too much fun, especially at how Ty is screeching that messing things up won't do anything. It's a surprise when Bucky catches his upper arm.

"Yeah, just a sec Tony," Bucky says, then smirks. "Having fun?"

Tony winks. "You know it."

"I think I'm getting the hang of this," Bucky says, putting a hand on the wall which promptly turns from painted plaster to a metallic panel. And fast, too.

"Impressive," Tony says, admiringly. "What about something you don't touch?"

In answer a chair a few steps away bends and twists, collapsing on itself.

"Cool." Tony nods. "Mess up everything you can."

"That's why I wanted to talk to you. How about we work together on a huge change? Something busy."

It's true they would probably overload the system faster that way. To be effective, they'd have to build on a similar idea.

"What about a city?" Tony suggests. It won't have to match exactly to be coherent: buildings, roads, cars, people… Bucky can start smaller, while Tony puts the bare bones in, then expands.

Bucky grins. "Excellent. Night time?"

"Got it."

To begin, Tony closes his eyes and imagines he's in the middle of a street, downtown. He starts from the ground up with asphalt and cement and builds from there. When he opens his eyes, gone is the simulation of the Avenger's compound and he's surrounded by tall modern-looking buildings. He composed the bare bones thinking about Akihabara in Tokyo, where he was the week before, but in between his creation Tony can also discern Bucky's influence. The city around them looks like an illustration for the future as you'd see in old science fiction magazines, with spears and cylindrical shapes alike. It's beautiful, bathed in early evening purple and blue light. By his side Bucky is gazing at everything with huge eyes.

"Look at that," Tony says, amazed himself. "It's a shame to rough it up.”

 _‘It won't work, idiots.’_ appears on a billboard in front of them. _‘Stop right now.’_

Oh, on the contrary, their actions are starting to influence the simulation. Several surrounding buildings are wavering from solid to translucid around the edges. In fact, by sending them a message Ty is contributing to the busy environment too. Unfortunately, the headache that has been plaguing Tony since Stone forced him into the VR is increasing as well. 

"Let us out, Ty!" Tony shouts. 

Visibly, Ty and whoever is helping him with the simulation are trying to force it towards their earlier settings. Luckily, his and Bucky's creativity combined is strong enough that it doesn't hold. To their right a building blinks out of existence, turning into a wall of the rec room, only to reappear two seconds later when they look that way. For a minute there's a series of billboards announcing Viastone on at least ten buildings at the same time. Either Stone is throwing a fit, or he's losing control of the whole thing, but either way it's certainly playing into Tony's plan. 

To cause as many ripples as possible, Tony also activates the lasers on one robot and prioritizes destroying Ty's messages, since he's petty like that. Light bulbs move and explode, but soon enough other signs appears.

 _‘Give me the code and I will let you out!’_ one billboard says.

 

"Fuck no!" Tony snarls. He didn't bend with actual terrorists who waterboarded him for simple missiles, he won't give Tiberius Fucking Stone an all-pass access to BARF.

It's not even a consideration. In fact, it makes Tony destroy with prejudice a lone car that was just sitting there on the corner of this street of theirs. It goes up in flames and he sends the second robot towards the support beams of a high-speed bullet train that is certainly Bucky's creation. Speaking of Bucky, he's been staying by his side through their walk in the now wild VR, and is now pointing to Tony's left and another sign. 

_‘BEHAVE! I do not need Barnes, just you.’_

It makes Tony's stomach drop. What if Ty hurts Bucky? In the real world, they are totally helpless and at their captor's mercy. It therefore takes Tony by surprise when Bucky chuckles. 

"Really? That's what you go with, coward?" Bucky shouts. "What are you going to do, kill me while I'm in a dream state?"

It might not impress Bucky, but it's a highly effective threat for Tony. Ty wouldn't be able to face Bucky in the real world, but who knows what he'll do now? Frankly, Tony is a fraction of a second away from dropping the robots and announce he's ready to comply, at least until the threat is gone or he figures another way out. 

"Don't be stupid, Ty," he pleads. "Touch one hair on his head and you'll have to deal with a pissed-off Captain America. Believe me, you don't want that."

As long as Bucky's with him in the VR, it means they are both safe and just artificially under through the influence of the tech. If Bucky was drugged, knocked out or even worse, he'd disappear because he wouldn't have the brain power to sustain being aware in the environment. On the other hand, it's true that Ty could take Bucky out of the simulation where he's helping disrupt the scenario and leave Tony alone in it any second. The closer they get to break the thing, the more it becomes probable: Ty won't want to face a pissed-off Super Soldier waking up from a trance. 

Tony has to warn him right now, and to do so he loops his arm around Bucky's shoulder, gets close and whispers in his ear. Probably as a reflex Bucky puts an arm around Tony right back, but unfortunately he can't take the time to enjoy the embrace.

"He's gonna do it, knock you out or worse!" Tony says urgently. "We need to break out now!"

"How? We've been trying, and it's not working fast enough!" It might be virtual, but Bucky's breath on Tony's ear is distracting as hell. As are all the firm muscles he's pressed against. Dammit, he needs to focus.

"I'm gonna go all out, make as big as an explosion as I can." With the amount of information he's able to process, Tony is sure he can make it count if he concentrates all of his energy into something huge. It won't fry his brain, but it will probably do a number on his headache, anyway. "I'll be useless for a minute when I return to reality, you'll have to spot me."

Bucky nods. "Don't worry, I've got ya."

"I know you do," Tony says, allowing himself a hug, since he's there and all. 

On impulse he kisses Bucky's cheek too before pulling back. Bucky is now looking him with widened eyes.

" _That's better,_ " Ty's voice rings out loud, breaking the moment. " _A lot more reasonable. I'm sure we can come to an arrangement._ "

Their short conversation was enough to bring the surrounding SIM almost all back to the Avengers compound environment. Stone is so arrogant, he thinks Tony convinced Bucky into compliance instead of holding a brief battle strategy huddle.

"Don't worry," he reassures Bucky. "Whatever happens, it won't hurt me or you. Just be ready."

"Got it." 

Bucky steps aside, closes his eyes and around them the landscapes turns into a forest in winter. It's extremely well done and impresses Tony a lot that Bucky's already so proficient at manipulating the VR. But they've been going for loud and flashy earlier and this is nothing but, verging on desolate. A light snow is even falling softly, muting all colors. 

" _What is this?_ " Ty asks, sounding as confused as Tony feels right now.

"As close to hell on Earth as I've ever been," Bucky says, opening his eyes and looking straight at Tony as the temperatures plummets, rapidly becoming glacial. "Sorry to drag you into this, but it should help."

More clothes appear on Bucky's body - a shame - and it takes a few seconds for it to click. A long coat, uniform pants below, boots, a helmet and then a rifle in his hands. Both arms are flesh and bones now, and Tony is face to face to what he realizes is Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes of the 107th. The ground around Bucky lowers and becomes a dingy foxhole, way too exposed, and Tony can see more of them scattered nearby. There is also a line of trenches further away which he deduces are the enemy lines. 

"Oh." He's about to be plunged into World War Two. This is not a fabrication at all: what he's witnessing right now is a memory, or at least heavily influenced by one. Bucky's face is grim and Tony can't even imagine how much he doesn't want to relive this. It's humbling that he'll do it in order for them to get out from under Ty's thrall. 

"In ten?" Bucky asks.

Tony nods, closing his eyes to focus. Time to do his part.

" _I don't know what you both are playing at again,_ " Ty says. "Tony, stop with the games and -"

He's not listening anymore, busy rewriting his DNA with the Extremis virus in all of its initial explosive glory. Not the crude version the henchmen could barely control; worse: it's the souped out almost dragon-like powers that Killian had. The very same that Killian tried to push on Pepper. Having gone through all of Maya's notes, what he could find at least, Tony makes Extremis even more dangerous. He combines every scrap of its potential to make himself into the biggest goddamn bomb that has ever existed. 

The effects of Tony's little experiment in VR-genetic manipulation are quickly building up. He has the impression that his blood is turning into lava and can feel the heat gathering under his skin.

"Holy shit," Bucky says, which Tony hears over the buzzing in his head.

Tony re-opens his eyes, now vibrating with power. He's putting off so much heat he's sure that his touch would scald, and it's ramping up. Bucky is gaping in awe, and Tony notices that his hands are turning translucent and showing the fire below. The snow around his feet is melting fast, and steam is rising from his skin.

"You said in ten seconds, Soldier," Tony says between clenched teeth.

He cannot hold this for long, the energy bubbling is in need to get out, as soon as possible. It's a heady feeling, as if he's all powerful and could destroy the entire world if he wished to do it. No one could stop him. Killian was nuts, but Tony can glimpse how the rush that Extremis brings might have gotten to his head. For sure Tiberius Stone would eat this up like candy, and it's one of the many reasons he has to be stopped. He says he's just after BARF, but if he gets into Tony's servers and finds the research to enhance himself like this? It would be a lot of trouble. Tony is barely holding on to his control, and worries that if Ty catches on that he will overload the system by making himself explode, he might hurt Bucky as he threatened before. 

"Yeah, Tony, got it," Bucky says. He's back to serious, and his earlier pristine coat is now well-used and covered in mud and sinister stains. There's a bayonet at the end of his rifle that glints red, and it paints a grim picture. "I'm gonna start in five- four- three- two, one!"

The silence and calm pop like a soap bubble. It's replaced by a cacophony of mortar and machine gun, mixed with the cries of the wounded. Rattling large planes, lots of them, buzz overhead and the sound they make is so loud that it resonates down to Tony's teeth. When the dropped bombs go off, the ground quake violently. It's terrible and a total nightmare, destruction dialed up to twenty, but also the perfect counterpoint to Tony's own party trick. 

He breathes in, fueling the fire, and while keeping eye in eye with Bucky - who thankfully doesn't look afraid - he lets go. It both hurts like hell and is terribly satisfying to feel his whole being briefly contract, then expand and shatter in a million pieces, liberating the energy that had gathered in his every cells. 

The last thing Tony is aware of is that the world goes white.

***

 

Tony comes to with a pain in his skull so sharp it's like he's being physically stabbed in the brain. He has to breathe fast to stave off a sudden need to puke. He hasn't lost the plot, though, knows they just were in a virtual reality and now he's back in the real world. A reality where they were taken, sequestered and what amounts to brainwashed, and where they must get away from Ty and his people before they do worse than that. Alarmed shouts resonates around him, shrill medical sounds too, and Tony needs to regroup fast to seize the opportunity to fight back.

First thing first, Tony palms his head and predictably finds electrodes at his temples that he hurries to rip off. Next he tentatively open his eyes, gritting his teeth against the aggression of lights that are way too bright. When he manages it without vomiting everywhere, he considers it a win.

He immediately searches for Bucky - scanning the lab they are in, mostly computers mixed with a rudimentary med-bay - and sags in relief when he takes in the scene before him. Ten feet away, Bucky is sitting up in his bed and has Ty by the throat with his prosthetic hand, as he did in the VR. Unfortunately for Stone, he can't disappear this time. Ty is still breathing but with difficulty, quickly turning bright red and uselessly trying to pry off the metal fingers from blocking his airways. Tony frowns when he notes the syringe plunged in Bucky's neck, though the depressor hasn't been pushed much and therefore it's still full of clear liquid. All signs point towards Ty trying to sedate Bucky - or kill him - but that he woke up just in time.

"Let him go, right now!" shouts Nigel, Viastone's chief scientist for the VR division. Huh, Tony hadn't noticed him.

Nigel is a bright guy, but Tony's always found him shifty. What is unacceptable is that the scientist has a gun trained on Bucky. Judging by the shaking of his hands, Nigel probably never used a firearm. Unfortunately, that alone might prove dangerous; he's so jumpy, he might fire by accident.

"I'll crush his windpipe if you shoot," Bucky says calmly, unsticking the syringe from his neck with his free hand and letting it fall to the floor. He looks fine, but Tony should grab it when it's over, just to check what's in it. Bucky's not even glancing towards Nigel, instead looking at Ty as if he's shit that ended up under his shoe. "I should kill you anyway," he adds, tone cool as ice.

Shit. Ty deserves to be thrown in jail to rot for sure, but death is maybe a bit premature. But most of all Bucky doesn't need to kill someone like that again, up close and personal. Scum or no scum, Bucky might regret doing it when the emotions aren't riding so high. 

Ty and his team made a big mistake when they didn't take off Tony's watch while they could. Granted, the fact he has been using his watch as a weapon cache for years is not common knowledge, but it's also bad kidnapping procedure. He calls out the nanites with a thought, the armor rapidly escaping the watch and closing around him until Tony's totally suited up and with his repulsor charged and ready to fire. FRIDAY comes immediately online, too.

"I am receiving contradicting information, Boss, are you okay?"

 _‘No time to update. Call the cops,’_ he dismisses mentally before speaking out. "Put your gun down Nigel!" he demands next.

Nigel jumps in surprise at his voice and pivots to point his gun at Tony, which is good. He's safe in the armor, while a bullet would hurt Bucky. Finding himself face to face with an armed Iron Man when he expected a suffering Tony Stark makes Nigel turn three shades whiter.

"How-"

"Gun, down, now," Tony orders again. Nigel obeys - putting his pistol on the ground and kicking it towards Tony - and therefore proving that he has at least one brain cell still functioning.

"I had no choice! You know what he can do!" Nigel pleads, and it isn't clear if he's talking about Ty or Bucky. Tony isn't moved at all, to be honest.

Behind him, Ty is making wheezing sounds and there's no time to lose. "I don't care. Ease up a little, James, will you?"

Bucky does not. In fact he squeezes even more and Ty is now choking, clearly terrified and panicking. "He went out of his way to hurt you."

"I'm fine, and I'll make sure he rots in jail for a long time. Let him go, please."

With a disgusted face and a grunt, Bucky releases Ty who collapses to his knees, coughing.

"Insane maniac, Jesus!" he says between coughs while rubbing his throat. He doesn't look up at either of them and stays on the ground; he shouldn't cause any more problems.

"Nigel, kneel with your hands behind your head," Tony says, and is obeyed without protest. There is a roll of duct tape on a lab bench that Tony picks up and lobs to Bucky. "Wanna truss them up for the cops?"

"No need -" Ty starts to say but Bucky is already on it, yanking Ty's arms behind his back roughly, which makes him cry out. "Ow, fuck! You can't do this! Come on Tony, I wouldn't have hurt you for real, you know that!" That warrants him a vicious pull as Bucky binds Ty's wrists with the tape.

Frankly, Tony has had enough: he gestures for the roll of duct tape, forms a cutting blade with the nanites, and then off cuts a strand of it.

"You're not getting out of this, asshole." It's with a grin that Tony bends down to slap the tape over Ty's mouth, to his total outrage. "There! Shut up."

Ty is trying to murder him with his eyes, but Tony's not impressed. Bucky's tying up Nigel, who doesn't even dare protest when he's a little rough.

"Okay, great, that will do fine until the police gets here," Tony says.

He checks with FRIDAY and the cops are ten minutes out. Since the computer that was controlling the VR is still open, Tony retracts the armor in the watch and sits down at the console to check on the code. What Ty and Nigel tried was shitty, but well executed at first and he needs more data, especially how they programmed for Pepper. Steve was obviously based on perceptions only, but still well enough done.

Bucky leans on the side of the desk, and Tony realizes after a minute that he's being stared at.

"A penny for your thoughts?" he asks.

"What was that, earlier? I've never seen anything like it." Bucky is clearly referring to Tony turning himself into a bomb. 

"Did you hear about that terrorist that blew my house in Malibu a few years back?" When Bucky nods, he continues. "The guy behind it, he'd pushed a woman I knew to turn a virus she'd started as a way to heal people into a weapon. Extremis. He turned himself and his minions into walking bombs, even gave it to Pepper. It was a mess, though admittedly I used it too, to get the shrapnel out of my chest."

Bucky's eyes widen. "You could do that? Explode?"

Tony chuckles. "No, no, I deactivated it, no worries. I know it looked bad."

"It was horrifying but also terribly beautiful. You should have... it was like seeing a real life phoenix or something." There is definite awe in his tone.

The system surely recorded it, Tony will have to take a look.

"What I don't get," Bucky continues, "is why he didn't kill me off from the start."

"My theory is that he hoped to get away with stealing my passwords and shit. If he wanted it to work, we had to eventually wake up from the simulation both okay, if a little confused." Maybe Ty would blab about it like a cheap villain when interrogated. "He was clearly after me, I'm sorry you got dragged into this."

"Oh, no worries, I am glad I could help. It was interesting to say the least, even if I hate not being in control of my mind," Bucky says. "WIthout you I would have fallen for the just a weird dream thing, for sure."

"I understood what was going on because I'm used to simulations like this. You figured out how to work with it pretty damn fast, and it takes a lot to manipulate matter in VR. You did great." Tony elects not to mention the intense WW2 scene. It's bad enough that Bucky has to live with those memories, he must not want to talk about them. "It's perfectly understandable that you thought it was a regular dream."

Bucky huffs and gives him a half smile. "Yeah, well, it's not the first time you're in one, so."

That is definitely flirting, and Tony's heart speeds up. He wiggles his eyebrows when he replies, flirting right back.

"Oh yeah? You like my tank tops that much, mmm?"

"Uh huh," Bucky agrees, smile widening. "And that you kissed me, I liked that too."

”Yeah?” Direct and to the point - he can work with that. Tony slides out of his chair, stepping into Bucky’s space as he leans against the desk. "I can do it again, if you want," Tony offers.

"Yes please," Bucky says, looping an arm around Tony's waist to haul him close. Before Tony can lean in to kiss him, Bucky adds, "Are you sure that we're still not in a VR or a good dream? This is really similar to some of my fantasies coming true."

Tony grins. "Why don't we try to overload the system and see how it goes?"

Bucky's answering smile is wicked. "I like how you think, genius."

After a small pause, Bucky leans in and Tony stretches up to meet him in a tender kiss. They shift, breaking apart to just breathe in each other and it is everything that Tony ever dared to hope for. Threading his fingers into Bucky’s hair, the kiss soon turns passionate and Tony moans softly as the arm around his waist clutches him even tighter. Bucky pulls back slowly, Tony’s hand still buried in his hair, and Tony just stares into his gorgeous blue-gray eyes that are now flatteringly dazed. God he's beautiful, Tony can't believe his luck that Bucky wants him back.

"I'm gonna blow your mind, baby," he vows, before he leans back in to start working on that promise.

 

 

The End.

**Author's Note:**

> More detailed warnings about past trauma (spoilers): 
> 
> The fic contains a scene where Bucky remembers an intense WW2 battle, and is put in a situation where he's going through a - ultimately failed - brainwashing tentative. He does not appreciate. Tony is also going through this brainwashing tentative, that involves kidnapping, so he's not a fan either. No panic attacks or extreme anxiety as a result, though, but Bucky's reactions worry Tony. They ultimately just kick ass and take names.
> 
> \-- end warnings--
> 
> I want to thank mariana-oconnor who created the art that started it all, but also brainstormed with me to shape up this story. How absolutely gorgeous is that art, right? I can't stop staring. As said in the notes at the start… dear reader, please take a moment to go gush at her about it, either through the 'was Inspired by' link for the AO3 page, or on Tumblr [here](https://mariana-oconnor.tumblr.com/post/180489987596/title-why-dont-we-go-kaboom-artist)
> 
> Also, what you cannot see with the finished product is HOW MUCH I owe to Astudyinsolitude who did the most thorough beta I've ever had the pleasure of getting for a fic of mine. Their attention to detail, and how they made sure this story's writing was tight, was mind blowing. I won their services through the Marvel Trumps Hate auction, and boy that's money for charity well invested =D 
> 
> Finally, thank you to the challenge's mod for a fun event! It made me finally dip my toe into that paring for real <3 <3 <3 
> 
> I have a tumblr [@gottalovev](http://gottalovev.tumblr.com), and the link for this fic is on tumblr [here](http://gottalovev.tumblr.com/post/180490229484/my-first-longer-fic-for-tonybucky-done-for-the) if you want to like/reblog. New pals welcome! :)
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! <3

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Escape (Art for Why Don't We Go Kaboom)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16737172) by [mariana_oconnor](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mariana_oconnor/pseuds/mariana_oconnor)




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